ESPN attracted one of the largest audiences in the history of cable television for Monday’s rivalry game between the Packers and Bears.
The Bears’ win over the Packers drew a 10.8 U.S. rating and 17.454 million viewers on ESPN Monday night, up 9% in ratings and 11% in viewership from Week 3 last year (CAR/DAL: 9.9, 15.705 mil) and up 44% and 47%, respectively, from Week 3 in 2008 (NYJ/SD: 7.5, 11.881 mil).
This marks the highest rated, most-viewed Monday Night Football telecast of the season, and the top MNF telecast overall since Patriots/Saints in Week 12 last year (12.9, 21.402 mil).
Packers/Bears ranks as the fifth most-viewed cable television program ever, behind four other Monday Night Football games — Patriots/Ravens in ’07 (17.522 mil), Eagles/Cowboys in ’08 (18.608 mil), Patriots/Saints last year (21.402 mil) and Packers/Vikings last year (21.839 mil).
Prior to Monday Night Football‘s debut on ESPN in 2006, the record for a cable program was 16.837 million for an episode of CNN’s Larry King Live.
That total has been surpassed seven times in the past four years, six by MNF (includes last year’s Week 17 Vikings/Bears game, which drew 17.006 million viewers).
Monday’s telecast was the top program of the night on broadcast or cable in all key adult and male demographics — including the all-important adults 18-49 demo (7.2).
(ESPN)
